Prom House by Chelsea Mueller
Underlined/Random House/Penguin Random House, LLC
Publication Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-18005-1
To celebrate prom weekend, Kylie and her friends rent an incredible beach house on the Jersey Shore where they plan the most epic post-prom pool party on record. It’s roomy, well-appointed, and remote. But, perhaps too remote. Because when Kylie and her friends lose their cell signal to the incoming hurricane, are surrounded by an electrified moat of storm water, and are being picked off one by one by a vicious killer they realize the only ones who can keep them alive are themselves…but what if one of them is the murderer? How will they survive what was meant to be the perfect party weekend?
Prom House races from the first paragraph. The reader waltzes up to the house and joins the party, but by the end of Chapter Two, danger is already imminent and accusations are flying. While the initial cast is large, the characters’ personalities are distinct enough to make them likeable. As the obstacles to leaving the house and unveiling the killer compound, the reader is intrigued enough to suspend disbelief and is compelled to discover who could be terrorizing these teens. The ending is somewhat abrupt and a little too neat, but clocking in at just 230 pages, Prom House is just the right size for readers to quickly devour cover to cover.
Fans of the #MurderTrending series by Gretchen McNeil, Hulu’s Run, or the 1996 film (and tv show reboot) Scream will enjoy this title.
–Jennifer Sutton, IL
Other Nominated Titles
- The Girl from the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag (June 1, 2021)
The Selected Lists teams read throughout the year in search of the best titles published in their respective categories. Once a book is suggested (either internally or through the Title suggestion form), it must pass through a review process to be designated an official nomination.
Each week, the teams feature a review of one of the officially nominated titles. Additional titles to receive this designation are listed as well. At year’s end, the team will curate a final list from all nominated titles and select a Top Ten. The previous years’ lists are available on The Hub.
